'Founding Member' status granted for first 1,000 donors

4:02 pm, April 12, 2012Updated: 12:19 pm, May 19, 2014

You too can be a “Founding Member” of “Romney Victory” and enjoy a California retreat in June – but it will cost you at least $50,000, and you better act now – only the first 1,000 donors qualify.

That’s according to an April 10 email solicitation that’s going around to big potential donors and money bundlers, urging them to contribute to a joint fundraising account.

Presumed Republican GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee and state party committees have joined together to solicit funds for the 2012 election.

Donors can give a combination of funds, but must be mindful of the legal limits.

For instance, donors can give $2,500 for Romney’s all-but-over primary election campaign, plus another $2,500 for the general election; $30,800 to the RNC; and $10,000 to at least one state party committee.

The maximum amount that one person can give to the joint fundraising committee is $75,000.

Although the location is not named in the email, a possible destination is in or near La Jolla, Calif. That’s where Romney has a large beachfront mansion, now slated for renovation and major expansion, and the location of a 2011 event for hundreds of his early big bundlers.

That would mean the host might be Romney himself.

The joint fundraising effort, which was recently announced as the former Massachusetts governor has become the almost inevitable nominee, is similar to one that President Barack Obama’s campaign has used with great success to raise funds for his reelection and the Democratic National Committee.

Obama has already raised almost $300 million for his reelection and the DNC through their joint fundraising operation.

Unlike other recent presidential candidates, Romney has not released a list of “bundlers” – people who have collected large checks for the campaign.